If your going to be heading to the big rally and protest for Immigrant Rights here in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, you need to pay attention to the street closures, and details about this "mega" event.

Here are a couple of things you need to know, from our "peeps" over at the Los Angeles Police Department.

First: Be prepared for lots of people.

Second: Shoes. Wear really comfortable shoes. No high heels, ladies.

Third: Sunscreen. Bring lots of sunscreen and water.

Fourth: Street Closures: The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) is advising motorists of street closures on Saturday, May 1 because of the "Labor and Immigration March and Rally" that will occur throughout the day.

Fifth: Arrival Time. Be EARLY! Participants will begin arriving as early as 6 a.m. on Saturday (today) to the assembly area located on Broadway between 11th Street and Olympic Boulevard.

Depending on the crowd size, which could be anywhere from 100,000 to 500,000 participants, the assembly area could expand north to 9th Street and include Olympic Boulevard between Hill Street and Main Street.

Sixth: Road closures for the assembly will begin as early as 5:45 a.m.

Seventh: The march is scheduled to begin at 11a.m. Depending on crowd size, streets along the route may reopen as early as 1 p.m. or as late as 3 p.m.

Eighth: The disbanding area (Broadway between 1st Street and Temple Street) will remain closed until approximately 6 p.m.

Area commuters can visit http://trafficinfo.lacity.org/ for real-time traffic information and more detailed information on the marchers’ route.

The love affair with PaoGasol continues. I'm talkin' "WOW PAO," as in the new LEADER of LOS ANGELES!

The storybook ending to an extremely hard-fought Round 1 series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder was written to a final chapter that will be remembered in Laker Lore' for eons.

Here's how this amazing game turned out tonight (via the ESPN coverage)...

Kobe Bryant, the man who’d done it so many times before, rose for a baseline jumper with L.A. down one and the clock heading towards zero in a fourth quarter. Two seconds later, the Lakers had advanced to the Second Round, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 95-94.

But, that "mythic" hero from Spain, Commander Gasol, softly laid the ball off glass with 0.5 seconds left in the game to seal the deal for the Lakers.

The Thunder had a chance for a desperation heave, but Thabo Sefolosha’s attempt clanked off the front rim.

So, Pao. After this NBA career thing comes to an end, I will be running your campaign for Mayor of Los Angeles in 2020. Yep. We Love LA!

The wildlife and seafood supply in the Gulf Coast is in danger of being totally destroyed because of this massive oil spill taking place off Louisiana, Florida. Alabama, Texas and Mississippi coastlines.

This is what is in danger of being wiped out:

The Brown Pelican, the Reddish Egret, Mottled Duck, Royal Tern, Snowy Plover, Sperm Whale, Shrimp, Lobster, Blue fin tuna and sea turtle could be left to die over the next few weeks. This spill could head up the Mississippi River inland more than 500 miles, and could be the worst in our country's history.

It could take 3 months just to stop this spill, and years to clean it up.

Federal and state officials are blaming British Petroleum what they said was an "inadequate response" to this oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

But should the US Government be blamed for having their "pants down?"

Floating crude oil is now imperiling the fragile marshes of the Gulf coast and it is beginning to hit the white sandy beaches.

At an afternoon press conference with other officials in Louisiana, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said he told BP officials and engineers “to work harder and faster and smarter to get the job done.”

Are you kidding me? That's his response? The blame game has begun.

This disaster is about greed and oil profits. This "Drill Baby Drill" attitude needs to change. Our world is in danger. 11 people died because of this spill. The well the rig was drilling, 5,000 feet below the surface, is now leaking oil at a rate of about 5,000 barrels a day, and it will get worse before it gets better.

The rig was owned and operated by Transocean under lease to BP. Under federal law, BP must pay the cost of containing and cleaning up the oil. America, it is time to wake up, and smell the oil.

Last night I attended a great talk by Erroll Southers, the Deputy Director of Homeland Security for the Obama Administration over at Whittier College. The community event was hosted by the Whittier College Chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society.

Southers spoke to more than 60 students, faculty and community members during his 90 minute talk about national security, and how he carved his path from our local community to his current post. Southers is passionate about keeping America safe.

Thanks for a great night to Melanie Abe, President of the Pi Sigma Alpha Chapter for allowing the community to participate in this event. This is a great group of young, passionate leaders here in our community.

Deputy Cameron Glover, 27 was killed Wednesday night when the motorcycle he was riding collided with another car travelling in the same direction at the McBean Parkway and Arroyo Park Drive.

Glover apparently lost control of his motorcycle when it crashed and was taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Glover was just beginning his career in law enforcement, and had been a member of the LASD for four years and in the Santa Clarita area for the past two years.

What makes this even more tragic, Glover's wife is seven months pregnant with their first child.

Tonight, I hope you will keep the Glover Family in your thoughts and prayers.

Law enforcement officials are hailing a late night sweep last night specifically targeted minors who were in violation of curfewlaws.

The city-wide curfew sweep efforts focused mainly on neighborhoods and areas with a high volume of gang and/or criminal activity.

The teams conducting the curfew sweeps found 15 juveniles, ranging in age from 13 to 17 years old, in violation of curfew ordinances.

10 local minors were arrested, including two suspected of possessing "ecstasy" pills, and another minor who was convicted of a sex offense, and the officers identified a child abuse case during the sweep. One child stopped was only 9 years old.

What the heck....NINE years old? Man, what is a 9 year old doing running around on the streets after midnight?

The 15 children found in violation of curfew laws were hauled off in the back of police cars to the Buena Park Police Department Station and and held until their parents arrived to pick them up. (These youngsters have a lot of explainin' to do....YIKES!)

Before releasing the juveniles that were rounded up to their parents, both had to meet with representatives from the Orange County District Attorney's Office and the Orange County Probation Department to discuss the dangers and legal consequences for both the parent and child for violating curfew laws.

Listen, noting good EVER happens after 10 p.m. when you are a minor roaming the streets on a weekday night.

Local law enforcement are beginning to crack down on these violations more and more.

Remember, if a minor is in violation of curfew laws, they could be held on misdemeanor criminal prosecution with penalties ranging from fines up to six months in jail for the parent or juvenile hall for the child, plus the associated financial costs.

Don't be stupid. Stay alive. Life is worth living. Stay inside after dark.

If you have more information about this "sweep" or if you were involved and want to "sound off" hit my comment section below. More details later.....

Police Chief Charles Beck said in a press conference today that he will make sure that the streets of Los Angeles are "safe" for the anticipated huge crowd that will be attending the May Day Rally here on Saturday.

Beck said that he will make sure that "Special Order 40" is enforced at this year's event that the rights of everyone will be "respected" during this annual event.

Special Order 40 is a policy established in Los Angeles in 1979 and prohibits police officers from "initiating police action with the objective of discovering the alien status of a person."

Special Order 40 prevents officers from inquiring about the immigration status of an individual and from contacting federal immigration officials about an individual's immigration status.

"In light of the situation in Arizona, we want everyone to know that we will not be stopping people and asking them for their immigration papers or status. We will only be there to protect the safety of the entire community," said Beck.

LOS ANGELES – It was a crime that even shocked a community that has become too familiar with brutal killings.

A 31-year-old man who was convicted of the arson death of a homeless person was sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is lucky he didn't get the death penalty.

Ben Matthew Martinpleaded guilty on March 29 to one count each of first-degree murder, torture and arson causing great bodily injury in the dead of John Mc Graham (seen here).

Mc Graham, who was a homeless man and local advocate, died after Martin set him on fire while he slept on a Downtown Los Angeles sidewalk.
The case shocked homeless advocates and community leaders all over Los Angeles and dominated news wires for months when the crime took place.

Martin also admitted special circumstance allegations that the murder involved the infliction of torture and that the offense was accomplished by means of lying in wait.

Before the murder, the defendant, who worked at a barbershop on 3rd Street and Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles, was involved in a series of incidents in which he verbally and physically abused homeless people who loitered near his place of employment, the prosecutor said in a sentencing memorandum.

Months before John McGraham’s killing, a barbershop customer witnessed Martin attacking the victim. The customer reported the incident to a barbershop employee. Martin was subsequently fired. Three months later, the defendant returned to exact his revenge, the prosecutor said.

On Oct. 9, 2008, Martin doused 55-year-old Mc Graham with gasoline and used a road flare to set him on fire. Martin was arrested on Jan. 22, 2009, in Riverside County by Los Angeles Police Department Robbery Homicide detectives.

Tonight, the community came together to remember the lives of "three little Angels who will forever be young at heart ."

The Hernandez Family children of Whittier, Cynthia, age 9, Edgar age 8, and Xochitl age 5, were remembered tonight at an emotional, tearful Catholic Rosary at St. Mary of the Assumption Church.

More than 450 local community members, family and friends attended the two-hour service that remembered the lives of "three little Angels" who lost their lives in a tragic car accident on the 5 Freeway in Newhall on April 12. Also killed was their 12-year old cousin Luis Villegas from Northern California who is also being laid to rest this week in services in Nor Cal.

(See additional information by clicking one of the below links under this post).

"These three children are our little Angels who will be with us in spirit forever," said Father Steven Nyl during the prayer vigil tonight. "We all have been Blessed by these three young people, Cynthia, Edgar and Xolchilt. They touched us all and we will never forget them," he commented at the Spanish speaking service.

Also attending the service tonight was their motherYessica Hernandez Milan, who is still recovering from injuries she suffered during the horrific crash.

I had the honor to hug and speak with her before the Rosary, and the pain she is going through is beyond words can describe.

Friends and Family gather to remember.
Randy Economy Photos

Keep the Hernandez Milan Family in your Prayers this week.

The Funeral Mass will take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday at St. Mary of the Assumption at 7212 Newlin Avenue, in Whittier. Burials for the children will follow immediately at Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary, at 3888 Workman Mill Road, Whittier.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

We have a new creepy guy running around our area that needs to be tracked down.

Meet Brian Alexik, age 33, resident of Los Angeles, and I am naming him the "Out the Back Window" Crook.

Alexik is suspected of possession of illegal weapons, manufacturing of weapon parts, counterfeit currency and narcotics, and his is slippery.

He was able to elude police and his whereabouts is currently unknown, and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the United States Secret Service (USSS) is asking us to help track him down.

Here is what happened:

During the evening hours of April 19, 2010, the Los Angeles City Fire Department received a report of noxious fumes coming from a residence in the 400 block of West Olympic Boulevard. When they arrived at the location, they were unable to get a response from the resident inside and called LAPD for assistance.

Due to the exigent nature of the call, LAPD officers entered the residence and discovered a large cache of contraband. A search warrant was obtained resulting in the recovery of illegal firearms, (including an AK47), ammunition, narcotics, fraudulent identification cards and $15,000 in counterfeit US currency.

They believe that Alexik was illegally manufacturing weapon parts for illegal weapons, and printing counterfeit currency.

He had escaped through a rear window of the apartment complex prior to officers’ arrival. How the heck did that happen?

Alexik is wanted on three felony counts stemming from this investigation; possession of assault weapons, possession of a short barrel shotgun, and convicted felon with a gun. Alexik is to be considered armed and dangerous.

If you know his whereabouts, call 911 immediately and make no attempt to contact him directly.

He is described as a White man of Russian descent, brown hair, hazel eyes, 5 feet 10 inches tall, and 180 lbs. Print the Wanted Poster and send it around to your contacts.

"Goya would have painted him: Square jaw on a long neck, soulful eyes, the pilgrim's beard. Even for professional basketball, Laker center Pau Gasol i Sáez is a giant, yet all seven feet of Barcelona's pride and joy pirouettes with ease, and the arcing hooks and crafty jump shots come from left and right, confounding his defenders."

LONG BEACH -- The murder case of popular Long Beach Wilson High School student Melody Ross just keeps getting sader and sader.

Today, as expected, two Wilson High School girls were charged with witness intimidation after they allegedly approached a witness in the case against two teenage boys charged with the murder of Ross last year.

The girls are 16 and 17 years old. They are charged with two felony counts each of witness intimidation for an April 19 incident. In addition, each defendant is charged with street gang allegations. They are in custody.

Because the two are charged as juveniles, their names are not being released. They are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Long Beach Juvenile Court.

The two allegedly approached another Wilson High student on campus last week and threatened him after he testified at the preliminary hearing involving defendants Tom Love Vinson, 17, and Daivion Davis, 16.

Vinson and Davis are being tried as adults for the Oct. 30 fatal shooting of Melody Ross, a junior at Wilson, and the attempted murder of two others after a homecoming football game.

If convicted, the two girls face a maximum sentence in custody at the Division of Juvenile Justice up to the age of 25.

I hope something good and positive can come from this entire case. The students who are going to Wilson High School are amazing, and talented, and need to have calm in thier lives. This has cast a cloud over our community, and all of us need to be involved in the lives of our children, day in and day out.

More details to follow.

If you are a student, teacher or parent at Wilson High School, please sound off on my comment section below, and tell me your thoughts.

Hey, I love Hollywood. We all love Hollywood. Thanks to Jeff Davis, (who has by far one of the "best voices" in America) for sending me this note about our beloved "Hollywood Sign." I agree with you 100% Jeff. Check out Jeff and his websites below!Randy

Hi Randy!Have you been following this "Save The Hollywood Sign" fraud? First, it was "Save The Peak" as in Cahuenga Peak. But that wasn't sexy enough so they changed it to "save the Hollywood sign." What a con job. I'm happy they raised the money to buy the land... I live up here... but, if people want to donate money they should not be lied to about what the donation is for.

"During those searches, agents found $800,000 in cash stashed in Retana’s desk (located at his office on Pacific Avenue here in Huntington Park), as well as another $3.2 million in cash hidden in the back of the bookstore. The FBI also seized another $8 million from Retana’s bank accounts."

LOS ANGELES—A Huntington Park man who preyed on Spanish-speaking investors with promises of hefty returns during the real estate bubble was sentenced today to 25 years in federal prison for bilking approximately 2,300 victims who suffered losses of approximately $33 million.

Milton Retana, 46, was sentenced today by United StatesDistrict Judge R. Gary Klausner. Retana was found guilty in January of six counts of mail fraud and one count of making false statements to government agents who were investigating the case. The guilty verdicts followed a week-long trial in which jurors deliberated for less than an hour. Dozens of victims were in court to hear the announcement of the guilty verdicts, and approximately 40 victims were present at today’s sentencing hearing.

Retana had ripped off so much money from his victims, FBI officials actually found $800,000 in cold cash in his Pacific Avenue office desk. Yikes.

Here is how Retana pulled off his years of schemes. He would soliciting investors, through his company, Best Diamond Funding, by telling them that their money would be used to buy and sell real estate. Best Diamond Funding solicited money through advertisements in Spanish-language magazines, on the Internet, and during weekly investment seminars at locations across Los Angeles. The raucous investment seminars often had as many as 300 potential investors and incorporated religious messages. Retana guaranteed returns as high as 84 percent each year, claiming that he would purchase properties in bulk at below-market prices and immediately sell them for a profit. However, records obtained by federal investigators showed that Retana used only a tiny fraction of the victims’ money to purchase real estate and that his company was actually losing money.

Bottom line...don't ever attend one of these "home investment seminars" period, and if you see one posted in a newspaper, call the FBI office here in Los Angeles.

Retana began his scam "Best Diamond Funding" with a single office in Huntington Park, but he quickly expanded his scheme to branch offices in Palmdale, North Hollywood, San Fernando, and Cathedral City. Retana was the undisputed leader of the scheme and participated in nearly every aspect of the fraud, including meeting with victims to convince them to invest with Best Diamond Funding, speaking at the investment seminars where he lied about how investors’ money would be used and putting out advertisements that touted impossible rates of return. “All the while, [Retana] knew that Best Diamond was a lie—there were no profits, and [Retana] was simply using money from new investors to pay previous investors,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing papers.

During the trial, several victims testified that they mortgaged their homes and drained their retirement accounts because they believed Retana’s promises that their investments were safe. In the sentencing papers, prosecutors pointed out that Retana told people who attended his investment seminars that they would be foolish to use their money for retirement, insurance or paying down their mortgage, rather than investing with Best Diamond.

The victims who testified at trial were largely from working-class families in East Los Angeles, and they included a stone mason, a long-haul truck driver, and a roofer who was also a pastor at his local church. Approximately 870 victims sent letters to Judge Klausner in relation to today’s sentencing, and 10 of those victims spoke in court today. During the course of the scheme, Retana collected about $62 million from approximately 2,300 victims who suffered actual loses of about $33 million.

Retana’s scheme was almost uncovered in the summer of 2008, when the California Department of Real Estate audited his company. But Retana stymied that investigation by ordering his employees to hide all of the investor files at the back of his wife’s religious bookstore. Best Diamond Funding was put out of business in October 2008, when federal agents from the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed search warrants on its offices and the bookstore.

Meet Randy Economy

Randy Economy is one of the most respected Investigative Journalists in Southern California and is the recipient of FIVE top awards from the prestigious Los Angeles Press Club in 2013, 2014 and 2016.
He is the host of “The Randy Economy Show” that aired on AM 870 ‘The ANSWER’ in Southern California from January 2015 to March 2016. The show was rated as the #1 weekend talk show in Los Angeles by Neilsen/Arbitron during the months of June, September, and November, 2015.
Economy has worked as an investigative reporter for years, he is the real deal.
Economy uncovered a $1 billion dollar political “pay to play” scheme inside the Los Angeles County Tax Assessor’s Office that lead to the arrest of Assessor John Noguez, Property Tax Consultant Ramin Salari, Property Appraiser Mark McNeill, and Property Appraiser Scott Schenter. The series of articles resulted in him being recognized as a candidate for the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 2013.
Economy also uncovered misuse of public office by Los Angeles Controller Wendy Greuel revealing how her elected position was used to leverage millions of dollars for her unsuccessful campaign for Mayor in 2013.
Economy, is now a resident of Rancho Mirage, California. He also uncovered massive fraud and political corruption inside the Central Basin Municipal Water District. The agency is now part of a criminal investigation by the FBI and US Attorney’s Office.
Bold, brass, and quick witted, Economy has also uncovered and reported on FBI probe of California State Senator Ronald Calderon, former Assemblyman Tom Calderon that led to both of their arrests in a complex bribery scheme.
He has covered hundreds of public meetings in and around Los Angeles County at City Halls from Simi Valley, to Long Beach, Norwalk, Downey, Los Angeles, Santa Monica and countless other field locations.
The Randy Economy Show has been featured on CNN, CNN International, Fox News, NBCLA, CNN, ABC Eyewitness News, KCAL9, CBS2, Associated Press, United Press International, Al-Jazeera, and hundreds of other television news shows across the globe…
Economy is a devout member of the Roman Catholic Church and attend Sacred Heart in Palm Desert.
In addition, Economy attended Utah State University and Cerritos College as well as a graduate of Cerritos High School.
Economy wears an eye patch. He lost the vision in his right eye nearly 10 years ago, and kids and critics refer to him as “The Pirate.” With his reputation for exposing countless crooked politicians, many now ask who are the real “political pirates” in our area. It is not Randy Economy, it’s those who dare to steal from the public and think that they can get away with it.
Randy Economy became an “official member” of the Republican Party in April of 2016.
Economy can be reached via his cell phone at 562 743-0882. His blog, now with more than 10 million readers is www.RandyEconomy.co.